Introspection with a Fox
by Humanism
Summary: What would happen if Naruto met with the Fox years earlier? What would happen if they formed an unlikely bond? Throw in Itachi has a teacher, and a criminally bored Hokage, and what happens? Iunno.
1. Chapter 1: Change

**A/N:** The academy is receiving some changes, since the one in canon has many flaws. All kids enter at 6 and graduate at 12, taking 6 years. Naruto enters at 4 and would graduate at 8, due to being a special case and technically being the strongest weapon in the known world. This would put him at 12 if he failed twice then succeeded on his third try, as per canon. He has just turned 8.

**Published 10/27/2014.**

**Updated 11/4/2014.** Awesome beta-reader helped revise chapter 1.

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><p>Naruto Uzumaki, self-proclaimed Hokage in training and best ninja ever, shifted in his sleep and fell out of bed to start off his day. Grumbling to himself, he got out of bed and made on with his morning rituals, setting a pot of water on the stove. Naruto sat down, idly awaiting the water for his ramen to finally boil, looking around at his sparse apartment and glanced at his calendar.<p>

He froze. "Shitshitshitshit I've got to get to the academy NOW!" Naruto swore, jumping out of his chair and sprinting out of his house at full speed. Of all the days to sleep in, our hyperactive number one unpredictable knuckleheaded ninja had to be late for his graduation exam.

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><p>Iruka had just arrived at the academy, beginning to set up his things at his desk. In the middle of preparing the items for the students to use on the exams, he heard a loud thud at his door, and shortly thereafter an orange blur raced into the room.<p>

Naruto banged into Iruka's desk, opening his mouth and spewing forth a seemingly never-ending stream of words, "Iruka-sensei I'm so sorry I'm late I know I'm not the best student and I drive you crazy sometimes but can I please still take the exam I'm really sorry and I won't ask you for anything again but please please please let me take the exam and-"Naruto paused, needing to stop for breath and Iruka took this chance to clamp his hand over Naruto's mouth.

"Naruto, calm down! You're actually early for a change – very early. The exams don't start for another two hours."

Naruto, shaken from his panicked state of mind, looked outside. The sky was the dreary dove grey of the early morning, the sun only beginning to lighten the horizon.

"Oh…. Sorry Iruka-sensei." Naruto scuffed the floor with his shoes, blushing at his silliness.

Iruka smiled softly; it was rare to find students who had such a drive to be a shinobi this early on. "It's fine, Naruto. Tell you what, since you're here early you can help me set up for the exams and I'll give you some pointers."

Naruto looked up, beaming. "Really? No one's ever helped me like that before! Only Hokage-jiji really talks to me outside of class."

Iruka winced, harshly reminded that he never paid Naruto the attention he should've, both from a teacher's standpoint and from a fellow orphan's. Naruto's casual dismissal of his own loneliness only emphasized how accustomed he was to isolation at this point.

"Of course, Naruto-kun. Remember that even after these exams, pass or fail, you can come to me for help. I'll still be your teacher for a long while yet, and don't you forget it!" Iruka grinned, rustling Naruto's hair.

Naruto laughed, batting away Iruka's hand. "Thanks Iruka-sensei! I know I'm not the best at anything, but the Bunshin especially always messes up for me, and I don't know why. It's like when I try to do it, my chakra just goes out of control and overflows. You keep telling me to just keep trying to improve my chakra control, but it doesn't seem to get any better." Naruto sighed, frustrated with himself at having to complain about something so minor to his teacher, but too worried to stay his tongue that he would never be a ninja if he couldn't even master the Bunshin.

Iruka grimaced, not at Naruto's problem but at his own internal conflict. _'I can't tell him about his burden, not without permission, and I can't just say he has too much chakra; not even Hokage-sama has too much chakra for the Bunshin. He'd tell everyone how much chakra he'd have, and they'd connect the dots… I'm not even authorized to teach him any other clone jutsu! And if I lie to him, when he eventually does learn about the fox he won't trust me again, and coupled with his emotional problems already…'_ Iruka sighed, too conflicted to keep the dilemma from his face.

Naruto, of course, took the sigh to be an exasperated one, an indication that Iruka was upset with him, and backtracked quickly, flapping his hands excitedly and grinning brightly. "Nevermind Iruka-sensei! I'm just being lazy I guess, you don't have to tell me again. I'll just keep trying to get my chakra control better and better! I'll get it down in no time, believe it!"

Dismayed, Iruka watched Naruto's show of false bravado and wondered how he ever let things get to this point. Already the boy thought everyone was against him. Steeling his resolve and damning the consequences, Iruka took Naruto's hand and led him off to the Hokage's tower.

Naruto was terrified; he didn't want to lose his dream of being a ninja, not when he was so close! "Iruka-sensei, I'm sorry I ever said anything! I'll do it on my own, I swear! You don't have to say anything to Hokage-jiji!"

Iruka's mouth quirked. _'Hokage-jiji…?'_ Shaking his head, Iruka looked back at the boy he was basically dragging along, "Naruto, you're not in trouble, and I'm going to help you with your problem. I just don't have the clearance for it. We'll go to Hokage...jiji, and he'll tell you, whether he wants to or not."

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><p>Sarutobi rubbed his temples, the stress of his position weighing heavily on him. It was seven in the morning and he already had a mountain of paperwork to go through. He had tried shadow clones before, but he couldn't deal with the overwhelming backlash of information. Since every fact needed to be memorized and it was all important, whether he wanted to admit it or not, he couldn't just hand it off to clones and not suffer from it. Thankfully, his darling assistants and beloved teammates, AKA paperwork dumps, were there for a reason. Really, what other point was there to them?<p>

Dismissing these thoughts as the procrastinating ramblings of an old man, he prepared to begin his work when he sensed both his favorite ninja and favorite ninja-in-training. He waved to his guards to open the door.

"Naruto-kun, Iruka-kun, what brings you to my office today? Not that I'm complaining, mind you," chuckled the Hokage, gesturing to his veritable mountain of paperwork.

Naruto was gaping at the stacks of documents that were larger than himself, and Iruka barely suppressed a shudder. He thought he had it bad at the academy…? Shaking himself from his thoughts, Iruka spoke, "Hokage-sama, I need to speak with you concerning Naruto's condition. I think this needs to be in private."

Sarutobi sighed, gesturing at his guards to leave, and forming a hand-sign to activate the sound suppression seals in his office. "Oh my, already? I would've thought we had at least some years more to us before we had this conversation." Hiruzen said tiredly.

Unused to the Hokage being so frank, Iruka gaped. "Hokage-sama? You knew this was coming, then?"

Sarutobi nodded, smiling grimly. "Oh yes. I expected Naruto here would figure something was wrong, but so soon? I had hoped to forestall this until Naruto-kun here was a bit older and wiser to deal with it."

Naruto, silent until now, spoke, "Hokage-jiji, what're you and Iruka-sensei talking about? I just wanted help with my Bunshin. Why're you guys so… I dunno. Weird?"

Sarutobi laughed, remembering Naruto was still only eight. "Sorry, Naruto-kun. We're just talking around it like grown-ups like to do when they really don't want to finally get to business. First of all, Naruto, I need for you to understand something. What we're about to tell you is classified. Amazingly classified. Ridiculously classified. So classified that – "

"Get to the point, old man," Naruto deadpanned, crossing his arms petulantly.

"Ha! You brat. Anyways, I hope I've impressed upon you that this is incredibly important, and not to tell anyone about until you are absolutely positive you have their trust. If you tell anyone else you don't trust fully about this, they are liable to hurt you in ways you can't even imagine. Understand?"

Naruto swallowed, feeling the gravity of the situation upon him. Iruka squeezed his shoulder, letting him know he was behind him on this. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi nodded. "Well Naruto, it has to do with your birthday, and the Kyubi. Channel some chakra for me, would you?"

Naruto did, his chakra streaming off him visibly.

"Good. Now, lift up your shirt and look at your stomach. I'm sure you can figure out the rest," Sarutobi said, his mouth a grim frown upon his face.

Naruto lifted up his clothes, hands trembling. He looked at his belly and saw the black markings. He didn't pay attention in class that often, but he knew Fuinjutsu when he saw it. "S-so… Old man… The Kyubi. It? Really? I'm the container of the Nine-Tailed Fox? I thought the Fourth Hokage killed it?"

Sarutobi sighed. "No, Naruto, he didn't. He could no more kill the Kyubi than he could the winds to stop blowing or the earth to stop spinning. I am sorry you had to learn this at such an age, but I do want to commend you on realizing that you are not, nor will you ever be, the Nine-Tailed Fox itself. It was a beast of awesome power and terrifying might, and it was only luck that we had a sealing genius as our Hokage. Else, the village as you know it would not be here. I'm sure you realize that you aren't at that level yet," he chuckled, trying to break the tension.

The Hokage stood from his chair and walked over to Naruto, who simply stared at the seal as it faded.

"Now, I've got some explaining to do. Come, walk with me through the village," he said to the boy. Turning to Iruka, he smiled gently. "Iruka-kun, you did well to bring this to me, and I know it took a lot of will to do it. I am thankful. You are dismissed."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Iruka saluted. To Naruto, he said quietly, "Naruto, I know this is hard for you, but like I said before, I will always be here for you, like I should have been from the start. Come to me for anything you need." Hugging Naruto, he exited the office and Shunshined away to the academy.

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><p>"Now, first of all, I need to tell you why you weren't informed of this sooner. You probably have made the link that a lot of older people knew of your condition, and that I'm probably a royal bastard for doing this to you. You're right on both accounts, but hear me out," Sarutobi said to the subdued boy, who trudged along with him silently as they walked along the outskirts of the village. Naruto looked up at the Hokage blankly, unshed tears in his eyes.<p>

Naruto wiped them away, talking aloud, "You know, Hokage-jiji, I'm not as mad as I think I should be. I was ignored by almost all the adults, and a lot of kids too, and I'm living on my own and all, but I can't seem to be mad. I've known that I was different from the looks I've gotten, but I just don't know how to react to this." Naruto gestured helplessly in the air. "I've got nothing, so I'll just ask questions. Why in the hell couldn't you tell me, of all people?

"If everyone else knew BUT me, then what good does it do if I know or not? Couldn't hurt if I told anyone, could it?" Naruto asked, getting louder. "Doesn't make a lick of difference, does it? Oh sure, let everyone else know but the one whose life it fucking affects. No, no, that's just fucking DANDY isn't it?" Naruto yelled. "All it did was make me think they were right, that there was something wrong with me! I thought that I probably deserved all of it, that I was some freak or whatever the hell? But now, the best part, it's all true! I'm probably the closest thing to a living fucking bomb that exists, so why SHOULDN'T people ignore me!? I'm just an accident that shouldn't even exist!"

Naruto shouted at the Hokage, sobbing. He didn't realize how much it fucking _hurt_ to bottle that up. He felt better having let it out, after having to endure the stares and coldness everyone gave him without knowing _why_. He felt better having let it out, now that he actually understood _why_ he had always been treated so coldly.

Sarutobi did the only sensible thing he could at that point, and hugged Naruto, consoling the boy. "Naruto, I know that you feel that you've gotten the short end of the stick, and that you should've been told and that everything sucks right now, and to be honest with you, you're not very wrong." The Hokage sighed, feeling the weight of the years on him. "Come, sit with me and we can talk."

He led them to a bench where they could sit and talk, undisturbed.

"Naruto, let me clarify some things that seem to be worrying you. First, not everyone knows. Only the older generation knows since anyone who's actually seen the Kyubi or any of the monstrosities known as the Bijuu know that they simply cannot be killed. The younger generation doesn't know, and they won't unless you tell them. We couldn't tell you because a young eight year old, especially you, wouldn't resist telling everyone. Let's be realistic, Naruto. If someone told you they had one of the most dangerous things to walk the planet, and you didn't know them at all, wouldn't you be wary of them? Not everyone knows the full extent of the burden you bear, which is why some of the older generation treat you poorly."

Sarutobi looked up at the sky, watched as the morning sun continued to lighten it and heard the low, whispery rumblings of the awakening city. "To be quite honest, those without a large knowledge of Fuinjutsu have a reason to be scared. You see Naruto, you aren't the first container of a tailed beast – a jinchuuriki. There can be eight others at any given time, and not all of them are mentally stable. Some of the seals that hold their beasts in check are not as flawless as your own. Some are prone to insanity and attacking others, and despite my best efforts to assure the people otherwise, the people don't realize your seal is the pinnacle of Fuinjutsu. Your tailed beast will not have any control over you unless you allow it directly. That means no unfortunate side effects, no outbreaks, nothing. Your mind is truly your own."

Naruto was silent, absorbing the information. There was one question that lingered in his mind, unexplained.

"Why couldn't you adopt me, Hokage-jiji?" Naruto asked, hopeful and child-like, looking up at the Hokage.

Sarutobi sighed heavily, feeling positively ancient. "Naruto, you have to realize something. I am the Hokage. I run a village of incredibly powerful killing machines that are at my beck and call. I also have to deal with a ton of bureaucratic nonsense every day, as evidenced by my mountain of paperwork. Then, on top of that, I cannot neglect my own training and skills, and I must also deal with many other miscellaneous things now and then – one being you, you little squirt. So you see, I simply couldn't. I didn't have the time to give you the care you deserve. And to make it so that any of your potential enemies didn't find out your identity, I could only visit you so often, and special treatment was right out. Even with all that I still assign different ANBU squads to watch for you. I deeply regret that you feel neglected, Naruto, but please know that I have always watched over you."

Naruto was silent for a moment, then nodded. The boy was much more perceptive then he let on, Hiruzen noted. The two spent some time in silence, simply thinking and watching, until Naruto spoke up again, still curious about his original intent. "So…What happens with my ninja training now? I still can't do a Bunshin."

The Hokage slowly grinned at this point. "Well, Naruto-kun, due to the fact you've learned this at a much earlier age than I'd originally anticipated, it's time for the plans I had for you to start accelerating. Starting today, you're now a Genin, and will be assigned a solo instructor who you will report to at 7 o'clock in three days at training ground 3. Congratulations, Genin Uzumaki. Here is your forehead protector."

Naruto was dumbfounded, looking slowly between the Hokage and his forehead protector.

_'What?'_

"Oh, and I'll also teach you the Shadow Clone Jutsu, an A ranked clone technique to help you with your Bunshin problem!" Sarutobi said, barely containing his mirth.

Naruto's mouth formed a perfect O.

Sarutobi's grin widened further. '_And now for the knockout.'_

"Your teacher will be Itachi Uchiha, a young prodigy himself and one of the best active shinobi in the entire force."

_'Bingo.'_

Naruto's eyes rolled up, and down he went.

Sarutobi laughed.

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><p><strong>AN:**

So, this story is basically a what-if Naruto manages to get in touch with Kurama earlier, way earlier than normal, and actually approaches him with a modicum of respect. I'd like to think that the world would be much different than before.

I've tried to make Naruto not an idiot, since he has been trying hard for the first exam, and the whole prankster business hasn't yet set in. I'm also going to give Iruka a larger role in this so he can be Naruto's tutor as well. Naruto will have many trainers.

I've also tried to make Sarutobi an old, firm Hokage who is frankly done with this shit. The guy is a legend beyond legends and he's just bored at this point, and while he does have to be the strongest shield and sword, he's not afraid to voice how utterly bullshit his life is for having to serve as Hokage for over 50 years. He's not disdainful of his job or anything, but you try doing 50 years of paperwork and dealing with the stresses of such a job.

Please R&R, and tell me of any mistakes that I've made, or improvements, or what have you.


	2. Chapter 2: Followthrough

**A/N:**

Thanks to the wonderful Breather for beta-reading! Link to her profile here: u/2557138/breather

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><p>Naruto stirred, blearily rubbing at his eyes and wondering what he was going to make for breakfast. He scratched his head in concentration, '<em>Hmm. Chicken flavored, beef flavored, or something special like lime shrimp? Tough decision…' <em>Consumed by his thoughts, he stubbed his toe on the table in his kitchen, swearing aloud.

"Ow! Stupid-ass table being in the way! How dare you stub the future Hokage's toe!?"

Naruto's growing tirade against his table ceased mid-rant as his eyes caught a glinting from atop the table. He walked over to it and picked up his forehead protector reverently, all thoughts of ramen fleeing from his mind. Naruto looked out the window and noticed the sun was midway through the sky, the village teeming with sound and life.

'_So, it wasn't a dream…'_

Naruto pulled out a chair and collapsed in it, the events of the day coming back to him. He didn't know whether to be excited or depressed. '_On one hand_', he started, '_I'm a badass ninja now! I've got a kickass teacher called... something. But Hokage-jiji said whoever it was is the best, and I'm gonna show him just how good I am!' _Naruto grinned, pumping his fist. '_On the other hand,' _Naruto's grin faded, _'I got a monster stuck in me…' _

Naruto pulled up his shirt and channeled some chakra, staring at his stomach. Sure enough, a seal appeared on him, and just staring at it made Naruto feel worse. He kept looking at his stomach until long after the seal faded, uncharacteristically pensive. He shook himself and jumped out of his chair, shouting, "Who cares, -ttebayo! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm gonna be Hokage, demon fox or not!"

Naruto swiped at the air, fire in his eyes. He looked down at his forehead protector and quickly tied it on his head. He ripped open his door and raced out to the railing outside, bellowing to the village, "Ya hear that, everyone? I'm a Genin now, one step closer to Hokage! I'll show you who's the best ninja ever, -ttebayo!"

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><p>Naruto blustered his way across the village to the Hokage tower, intent on getting his special move from the Hokage. Full of vim and vigor, he wasn't going to let anyone stop him, -ttebayo! But the secretary on the other hand…<p>

"And I already TOLD YA, Hokage-jiji will let me in, he knows me! You just saw me today with Iruka-sensei!"

"Oh, well that makes everything better! I'm sure I can just let anyone up to see Hokage-sama without an appointment, especially kids like you who can't even say his title properly! What a GREAT secretary that would make me!"

"It'd make you a FANTASTIC secretary if you could just let me IN!"

"And it'd make you a FANTASTIC brat if you could just GO AWAY!"

"Well I'm not gonna leave until you let me in!"

"Well I'm not gonna let you in, so that's that!"

"ARGH!" Naruto threw his hands up in disgust, glaring at the secretary. She didn't miss a beat and stuck her tongue out right back at him, crossing her arms in front of her.

Naruto sighed, dropping his head into his hands. They'd been at this for over an hour, now. Maybe some diplomacy would work? He looked back up, and twitched. The secretary was already looking over some documents like they hadn't just argued for over an hour. Naruto breathed deeply, and said, as politely as he could, "Excuse me, ma'am?"

The secretary looked up, a sneer on her face. "OH. You again. Didn't we just discuss this? No entry for you."

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek to keep from screaming at her, instead holding his hands at his side and bowing. The secretary looked shocked, staring at his bent head.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. May I please see Hokage-sama? It's an important matter concerning details he and I discussed previously. If you would be so kind as to let me in to see him, I would be very grateful."

The secretary smirked. '_He just might be useful yet.' "_Why, of course. If you just asked politely the first time, I'd have let you in straight away," she tittered.

Naruto whipped his head up so fast that the secretary was surprised he didn't break his neck.

"EXCUSE ME!? HELLO? WHAT WAS THAT?" Naruto _politely_ yelled.

The secretary laughed at him, waving away his concerns as Naruto pouted. She interlaced her fingers and leaned forward.

"Look, kid," she said, gazing at him shrewdly, "this is a ninja village. Did you not think I didn't see your new forehead protector?" she asked, pointedly glancing at his forehead. "I'm the secretary to the Hokage for a reason, not the least of which is teaching some humility and respect to up-and-coming Genin. Do you really think that you'll never have to practice some respect with your peers, not to mention your superiors?" At this, Naruto looked abashed, shifting uneasily.

The secretary sighed, running a hand through her hair and relaxed in her chair.

"Don't worry kid, everyone makes these mistakes and there's really no way to prepare you for them aside from experiencing it first-hand. Believe me, it's much better this way than to get uppity with some of the Jonin who don't give a shit about who you are." She smiled. "_They_ will break you. I'll just make you feel bad."

Naruto looked at her, nodding resolutely. "Thank you, secretary-sama." As he trudged off to climb the tower, he realized he still didn't know her name, and asked her. The secretary smirked and turned back to her work, "Maybe when you make Hokage, I'll tell you. All the more reason, right?"[1]

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><p>As Naruto finally made it to the Hokage's office, he was interrupted from knocking on the door when it opened and bandaged, cyclopean man with a walking stick shuffled out. The man peered at Naruto, and the boy got the distinct feeling he was being measured for his worth. The man shook his head and resumed walking away at a slow pace. [2]<p>

Weirded out by the entire event, Naruto walked into the Hokage's office, looking back at the door, still feeling that stare.

"Hey, Hokage-jiji, who was that creep that just walked out?"

Not getting a response, Naruto looked over to the Hokage, who had his head bent and his hands laced in front of him. Unsettled, Naruto walked to the desk, "H-Hey, Hokage-jiji, are you alright? You're kinda scarin' me here." With no response still, Naruto was getting very worried and was unsure on what to do.

In the midst of contemplating whether or not he should go get the secretary, the Hokage looked up, his face an angry thundercloud. Naruto stepped back, scared he had angered the man somehow. Shaking his head, Sarutobi reclined in his chair and said softly to Naruto, "I am fine, Naruto-kun. That man who just passed…" He shook his head again, somehow putting in more disgust in that gesture than he ever could in words. "He is a necessary evil of this village, and were it not for you here I might have just excised some of this great tree's roots. But please," Sarutobi said, "don't let the ramblings of an old man get to you. What did you want, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto was slow to respond, wondering if the old man had just threatened to kill someone. Dispelling those thoughts, he said, "Oh, I was wondering if you were going to teach me that clone jutsu you said you would. I have three days until meeting with my teacher, so I'm not gonna sit around doing nothing." The boy thumped his chest with his fist, grinning. "I'm a Genin now, and I'll be damned if I don't take that hat from you yet old man."

Sarutobi smirked, amused by how indomitable Naruto seemed to be. "Hm, I don't doubt it. But if you're really in a hurry to take on all this paperwork…" Naruto paled, his grin slipping away. "Hah! Guess not yet, eh? Well, alright. I'll hold onto this hat for some time yet. But, enough with the chit-chat. The technique is called Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, or the Shadow Clone jutsu."

Naruto listened raptly, not missing a word. Sarutobi's eyes narrowed, _'If he was this attentive in training, how did he nearly fail?' _Setting aside those thoughts for the moment, he went on. "This jutsu is ordinarily very chakra-prohibitive. It splits the user's chakra in two, which ordinarily doesn't sound bad, right? Anyone can do that forever. However, the problem is what happens when they disperse. When that happens, most of the chakra that was comprised of the clone is lost, and you're already at a deficit of half your entire chakra. There is not to mention a base value of making the clone itself, which also costs quite a bit of chakra, too. This is why not everyone can use this technique. Since you have so much chakra, it's perfect for you. [3]"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "That sounds… ridiculously expensive. Surely I don't have enough chakra to do it that often, then?"

Sarutobi shook his head. "No, you really, really do. You can do this all day long, even without using the second aspect of this jutsu. That's probably due to your unwanted guest." The Hokage gestured to Naruto's stomach, the boy unconsciously grasping the cloth there.

"The second part of it lets you reabsorb some of the chakra used when the clone is dispelled, although it is very difficult to do. Essentially, you feel for when the clone disperses, and pull onto the chakra that lingers behind. There's a small link between you and the clones, which means that there is an effective range limit. Considering that there are a number of jutsu that alter the clone when it's out, including detonation, what would stop anyone from making a clone army and then bombing a village?"

Naruto gaped. '_Clone BOMBS!?' _Trying to employ the diplomacy tactic he used earlier, he asked politely. "Hey, Hokage-sama, I don't suppose –"

"No."

"Dammit."

"Now, onto the third portion of this jutsu. This is the final portion, and you learn more by experience, so I'll actually teach you the seal for this jutsu now. Watch closely."

Sarutobi formed his fingers into a cross, and a perfect, solid clone materialized beside him.

Naruto nodded, fingers twitching into the shape, but paused. Sarutobi watched him intently.

"Hokage-jiji, why don't you just use the clones for paperwork?"

Sarutobi shook his head, smiling softly. "Don't you think I tried that already, Naruto-kun? Instead, why don't you try reading some of the paperwork I have here with a clone, and then dispelling it? Try to put as little chakra as you can in the jutsu."

Naruto nodded, confused. Forming his fingers into a cross, he shouted, "_Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"_

The Hokage coughed. He had forgotten how much smoke this jutsu made when not mastered…

As the smoke cleared, Sarutobi saw Naruto hacking in the middle of the room. He also saw Naruto hacking near the back of the room. He even saw Naruto hacking near the side of the room. He began to get a headache from the amount of Naruto coughing.

The real Naruto finally came to his senses, and looked around. There were copies of him _everywhere_. Elbowing one out of the way, he was surprised when it dispelled. Repeating the action, he saw another dispel. Frowning, he looked at the Hokage. "Well, I've got a couple of questions, but I guess the first one is _why was there so much smoke!?_ When you did it, there wasn't any!"

"To be honest, I wasn't expecting as much smoke either. The smoke is basically chakra burn-off from having imperfect chakra control. Since you have terribly poor control, not only did you burn a ridiculous amount of chakra – probably more than most Genin even have – you also made a lot of clones. Since I have perfect control, there was no wasted chakra and no smoke." Sarutobi explained, then frowned at the new Genin. "I assume you realize this means you will be refining your chakra control for ages. It's not exactly fitting for a ninja to create so many obvious signs of using a jutsu, is it?"

Naruto looked around the room at all of himself, and sighed. "Yeah, I get it."

Sarutobi nodded sharply. "Good. By the time you do that jutsu in front of me again, I want much less noise, smoke, and a smaller amount of clones. Now, on to the original point of this demonstration. I want your clones to read this paperwork. One paper each."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at his father-figure. "Ha! Like I'd do your work for you, old man!"

Sarutobi flicked Naruto in the head. "Just do it, squirt."

Rubbing his forehead, and giving Sarutobi the stink-eye, he ordered his clones to read the mountains of text.

After thirty minutes, several pouches of tobacco smoked by Sarutobi, and Naruto nearly asleep in the corner, the Hokage threw a pencil through one of the clones, waking up the real Naruto as it dispelled.

"Ow! Why did you do that?" he complained, rubbing his head.

Sarutobi grinned. "Do what?"

"You threw a pencil at me, jiji."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, _really."_

"Where's the pencil, then?"

"It's-."

Naruto paused, seeing the pencil on the ground, but ten feet away.

"Oh…"

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes. You receive the memories of your clones. Now, I want you to try to disperse all of your clones at once and see what happens."

Sarutobi prepared for Naruto to faint from the backlash, but was astounded to see that Naruto remained on his feet, and undamaged.

"Uh…."

"You still haven't explained why you can't use it for paperwork, jiji," Naruto pouted, still rubbing his head where he was _sure_ he was struck by a pencil.

"_Normally_, though I am beginning to wonder if that word ever applies to you, the backlash from receiving the memories of so many clones would cause you to faint, or at least get a severe headache. But, since you are Naruto, and I should stop expecting things to happen normally around you, that clearly didn't occur." Sarutobi pinched the bridge of his nose. It seemed as if he would get a headache instead of Naruto. "Would you mind explaining to me why you currently aren't in pain right now?"

Naruto paused, in the middle of dancing for joy that he'd never have to suffer through paperwork. Smirking at Sarutobi, he said, "I sorta _felt_ as if it should hurt, but not really. It was like when I got the memories at once, I felt a building pressure that just stopped all of a sudden."

Sarutobi pondered on this. "That…shouldn't happen. Would you mind lifting up your shirt again?"

Naruto shrugged, obliging him. He peered down and saw the seal glowing incandescent before settling down. Panicked, he looked at the Hokage who seemed troubled. [4]

"So what the hell does this mean?" he demanded. "Is it failing or something, or what? That didn't happen earlier today!"

Sarutobi shook his head absently. "No, no, the seal is fine. It's done this before, though you may not have realized. Try taking a kunai out and scratching yourself."

Naruto, relieved that they were in no imminent danger of dying any time soon, reached into his bag and pricked his palm with a kunai. Instead of bleeding on the floor, the cut seemed to seal almost instantaneously, his kunai barely leaving his skin before the cut being fully healed.

"That's…"

"Yes," the Hokage nodded grimly. "One of the benefits of your unique situation is that you seem to heal very quickly. Before you ask how I know, it's because we monitored you. Did you never wonder why you had no bruises after sparring sessions?"

"Kinda," Naruto admitted, "but I didn't really pay any attention. It just seemed that I got hurt less than others."

Sarutobi sighed. "Well, no use pondering over it. I advise you to try and stay away from interacting with your guest. It can't hurt you, but… just be careful. You may need its power in the future, but that should only be as a last resort."

"Now," the Hokage said, moving on to more pleasant topics as he saw Naruto's uneasy face. "I assume you realize what this means for training, yes? Since the Shadow Clone is made of chakra, and you apparently don't receive the backlash for it, you can use it for chakra control exercises, jutsu training, general information, spying, etc. For you, I'd imagine it would be the greatest training tool you could have, not to mention its battle potential. I noticed you saw that it took the slightest of blows to dispel the Shadow Clone, right?"

At the boy's nod, Sarutobi continued, "I'm not going to get into the specifics of why this occurs, but suffice it to say that due to it dispelling at the lightest of blows, only a true taijutsu master can effectively utilize them in hand-to-hand combat.. It is mainly used for sowing confusion, guerilla warfare, and long range support. For you, especially, I'd imagine the last option is appealing. But, I digress. The Shadow Clone is amazingly versatile, and since it's not chakra-prohibitive to you, I expect you to come up with some truly astounding things, yes?"

Naruto, seeing the challenge thrown at him, latched onto it. "You bet, jiji! I'll be the best, most unpredictable ninja ever! No one's gonna stand a chance against me and my Shadow Clones!"

Sarutobi chuckled, amused by Naruto's determination. "I'll bet. Now, since we've got this training lesson out of the way, I think you owe me one."

The Hokage straightened in his desk, and adopted a solemn expression. "Genin Uzumaki, I'm assigning you an S-class mission. You will be acting with my authority, and the fate of the village may depend on you. Do you accept?"

Naruto's eyes burned with passion, and he snapped off a salute. "Yes, Hokage-sama!"

Sarutobi grinned wickedly. "Good. Now, I need you to sort the rest of the paperwork for me. I'll be taking a walk." Sarutobi got up from his chair, placed his hat on Naruto's head, and walked out, gently closing the door behind him.

Sarutobi heard the boy's indignant squawk all the way from the base of the tower, and he laughed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

[1] This lady will not be that important, and she will remain nameless, but I constantly see in fics that the Hokage's handpicked secretary is somehow mean to Naruto and I simply don't understand why. He's the Hokage, he knows who is who in his village. He's never going to appoint someone who is biased to Naruto as such an important staff member. This point also indicates that Naruto will be actually groomed for Hokage. In a ton of fics, he defeats the big bad but we –never actually see him make Hokage-. I actually want some closure for once.

[2] Danzo will be important, but he's not going to be the end-all be all secret asshole. He loves the leaf, he knows Hiruzen is useful, and he doesn't have some desire or whatever to be Hokage. He just intensely loves the leaf. The confrontation he and Sarutobi just had was important in regards to upcoming plot point.

[3] I don't understand why in canon everyone cannot use the shadow clone. You can divide by 2 forever. It's not exactly difficult, so I've changed the way it works, which explains why people like Sakura will not be able to use it for a while, maybe until Chunin/Jonin. I've also made it so that it's virtually useless as a close combat tool, outside for the smokescreen/slowing someone down. If someone is really good at taijutsu, say Itachi, and they're able to improve their clones to the point that it takes a good while for you to get a solid hit on them, then it's a massively effective technique. The shadow clones can also fire jutsu themselves, being pure chakra constructs, essentially.

[4] Hiruzen is troubled here because he knows exactly why this has happened, due to there being two previous containers for the fox, but he doesn't know how to explain why he knows what has happened to Naruto. Naruto does have watchers, but he isn't monitored that heavily.

If it wasn't clear before, Naruto was never abused or hurt by anyone. He was just given the silent treatment by most everyone, which the Hokage has no control over.


End file.
